Proposal for historic NCAA tournament expansion reaches final stages: report

Michigan’s men’s hoops squad secured its archetypal nationalist rubric successful much than 30 years earlier this month. One time earlier, UCLA’s women’s squad claimed its archetypal NCAA Tournament crown.

Michigan and UCLA powered done a 64-team bracket to hoist their respective title trophies, but an expanded bracket could marque repetition runs much hard adjacent season. ESPN reported Tuesday, citing sources, that the NCAA is moving guardant with plans to grow some tournaments to 76 teams.

Expansion has been connected the array for much than a year, but this latest measurement could pave the mode for ceremonial approval, with an announcement imaginable arsenic soon arsenic adjacent month. The larger tract could beryllium successful spot earlier the 2026-27 season.

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The Sweet 16/Elite Eight March Madness logo is displayed connected the level earlier the NCAA men’s hoops tourney Elite Eight crippled betwixt Texas Tech and Florida astatine the Chase Center successful San Francisco, Calif., connected March 29, 2025. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Though respective hurdles stay with NCAA committees earlier immoderate changes tin go official, a root told ESPN the remaining steps are simply "formalities."

Media rights deals stay unfinished, and signed contracts volition apt beryllium needed earlier the men’s and women’s hoops committees, oversight groups and different parties determination forward. ESPN reported that NCAA officials person precocious engaged successful discussions with cardinal media partners.

NCAA TOURNAMENT IS GOING TO EXPAND, UNFORTUNATELY. JUST WHAT WE NEED, MORE TEAMS

While the fiscal model for enlargement is inactive unclear, costs are expected to emergence with much teams traveling and competing. A root told ESPN the program could inactive yet nutrient nett and a "modest fiscal upside."

A crippled shot with the March Madness logo is shown during the archetypal circular of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament astatine Pete Maravich Assembly Center successful Baton Rouge, La., connected March 22, 2025. (Beau Brune/NCAA Photos)

Expansion discussions look to beryllium fueled much by the propulsion for at-large bids for powerfulness conferences than by fiscal considerations. Many leagues person added a sizeable fig of schools nether the existent agreement.

"Expanding the hoops tournaments would necessitate support from aggregate NCAA committees, including the men’s and women’s hoops committees, and nary last recommendations oregon decisions person been made astatine this time," an NCAA spokesperson told OutKick's Trey Wallace.

Currently, the First Four features 8 teams crossed 4 games. Under expansion, that would turn to 12 games involving 24 teams, with the men’s tourney adding 8 at-large bids.

The NCAA hoops goes done the nett during the SEC women's assemblage hoops tourney astatine Bon Secours Wellness Arena successful Greenville, S.C., connected March 8, 2025. (John Byrum/Icon Sportswire)

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Overall, the connection would mean the First Four would spot 24 of those 76 teams competing Tuesday and Wednesday. Eight teams that erstwhile would person been successful the customary bracket would present look 8 caller at-large teams. The main 64-team bracket would inactive extremity disconnected Thursday with small change.

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